ABINGDON, Va. -- Morgan-McClure Motorsports and Alpha Natural Resources, Inc., a leading U.S. coal producer, will join forces with driver Scott Wimmer for this year's Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

The one-race sponsorship announcement marks the beginning of a new chapter for both Abingdon, Va.-based organizations. Attempting to qualify the #4 entry for the Aug. 22 night race at the "World's Fastest Half-Mile" signals a possible rebirth for MMM, which has been on an approximate two-year hiatus from the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Meanwhile, it caps off a monumental week for Alpha, one in which the company completed a merger with Foundation Coal Holdings to become the nation's third-largest coal producer.

MMM, founded in 1983, is a three-time winner of the season-opening Daytona 500 and boasts a successful history that includes 14 wins, 63 top-fives, 146 top-10s and 13 poles. "Our team, much like Alpha's owners, was born in coal country; and the first few years we were funded by dealerships that make their income by serving coal miners," says Tim Morgan, MMM's co-owner and president. "We couldn't be prouder to represent a progressive company like Alpha. A recognized leader in producing coal to meet the nation's energy needs, with an outstanding reputation for being good stewards of the environment while taking care of their customers and employees." With the Foundation Coal merger, Alpha now operates more than 60 coal mines and 14 preparation plants, maintains one of the most expansive geographic footprints in the industry, and controls reserves of more than 2.3 billion tons of coal.

"I'm really excited to have an opportunity to partner with Mogan-McClure Motorsports and Alpha for the Bristol night race. Hopefully we can have a good qualifying run and get a solid finish," Scott Wimmer.